Unsigned Eagles first round draft pick Brandon Graham looks like a no-show for the first day of training camp on Monday, when rookies and selected veterans must report to the dorms of Lehigh University, according to league sources.
Graham, the 13th overall pick out of Michigan, also will likely miss the first few days of practice. This could impact his ability to slide right into the situational pass-rushing role at left defensive end that head coach Andy Reid had planned for him.
Graham is a long way from signing his rookie deal, league sources say. So far, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and Graham’s agent, Joel Segal, have engaged in what a league source described as only "early conversations." Based on the rookie salary structure, Graham is due about $14.8 million in a signing bonus alone - making him one of the most expensive rookies signed by the Eagles since they drafted Donovan McNabb in 1999.
The Eagles, who rarely suffer through contract holdouts at training camp, are already heavily invested in Graham. Philadelphia traded two third round picks and the No. 24 overall pick to move up 11 spots in the first round to select Graham. He is expected to provide immediate help to a defense that badly underachieved under first year defensive coordinator Sean McDermott in 2009.
With training camps opening over the next seven days, only a handful of first and second round picks are signed. The Eagles second round pick, safety Nate Allen, is also unsigned. Allen has been penciled in as the starting free safety.
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